Pitching to investors: What truly excites you?

A lot of founders get caught up in trying to follow a perfect template, and drone on and on about their competitors, the market evolution, etc. They’re bored and it shows.

The way to pitch well is to focus on the parts of the business that truly excite you. That will shine through, and it will get the investors excited. Conveying your passion for the business is almost as important as what you say, and it’s almost impossible to fake. Even if you’re an introvert, it will usually come through to a sophisticated investor. So start with the parts you’re really excited about.

…Remember that smart investors are looking for the really big hits.

This is more contrarian than it seems, but actually correct. A pitch to investors doesn’t need to be an exhaustive overview of your business. You need to get investors excited, and you can then follow up with details. And what gets investors excited is probably what gets you excited.